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Danville residents and restaurateurs Nico and Alice Tzikas are getting closer to expanding their Rancho Cantina concept – familiar to diners in Lamorinda – into their hometown for the first time.
Grounded by the same menu “inspired by the original table fare of the Golden State’s Spanish and Mexican Californios” that the couple feature in their downtown Lafayette restaurant, Rancho Cantina Danville is on track to open on the south side of Hartz Avenue by early summer as building renovations, permitting and other prep work continue to come together, the owners said.
“Longtime Danville residents, we love it here. We are excited to have a place in downtown Danville and get it up and running,” Alice Tzikas told DanvilleSanRamon in a recent phone interview.
“We are about halfway through with the remodel. In a perfect world, we’re open by mid-June,” Nico Tzikas added. “Summer for sure. I’ll be upset if we’re not open by July 1.”
Nico Tzikas’ career in the restaurant industry has included prior ventures in Walnut Creek, San Francisco and Oakland. He’d also consulted with the original owners to help them open Rancho Cantina in Lafayette nearly a decade ago.
So when the cantina on Mount Diablo Boulevard went up for sale two years ago, the couple jumped at the opportunity. They took over in Lafayette on April 15, 2024, and soon expanded the prior owners’ service model from dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays into seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
“Tons of momentum the last two years,” Nico Tzikas said.
They had designs on opening a second location closer to home, and the prospect of downtown Danville came into view several months ago.
Nico Tzikas said he became aware that restaurateur Darren Matte – best known for Danville Harvest at 500 Hartz Ave. – was planning to pull out of his Cocina Hermanas concept across the street at 501 Hartz Ave. after nearly seven years there.
“From our beginning in January 2019, our goal was to create a place where family, friends and neighbors could gather around great food and genuine hospitality,” Cocina Hermanas management said in their closure announcement in March. “Thanks to you, that vision became a reality. Your support, enthusiasm and loyalty helped turn Hermanas into something truly special.”
They also confirmed Rancho Cantina Danville would soon be taking over the building at the southeast corner of Hartz Avenue and Church Street.
“Perfect space for our concept … Hartz is the location that will do it justice,” Nico Tzikas told DanvilleSanRamon. “Same concept as Lafayette, same menu.”
Those offerings are centered around wood-fired meals, fajita skillets, tacos, burritos and other Mexican and Spanish dishes, along with margaritas, cocktails, wine, beer, housemade lemonades and other drinks.
Nico Tzikas said they’ve noticed plenty of Alamo and Danville customers coming to their Lafayette location to test out their cuisine in recent weeks. And as part of building the momentum, the couple are offering prizes like $500 in free tacos and “free tacos for a year” ($1,200 value) as giveaways after the Danville restaurant opens.
“We are incredibly grateful and excited to serve the Danville community,” he said in the March press release announcing their plans to the public. “This new location is an investment for our family in both the neighborhood we love and to build the kind of gathering place we hope becomes part of people’s everyday lives.”
